PARAGUAY, Dequení •
Marion, a young 24 year old German woman, returned home after volunteering for a year at the Casa de Acogida de la Fundación Dequení [Safe House of the Dequení Foundation] to pursue a career in social work and share this experience with her friends.
Marion was one of Dequení’s international volunteers: she arrived from Munich to share, help and transmit her knowledge to the children in the main house of Fernando de la Mora at Dequení.
She relates that her stay at Dequení was filled with beautiful, joyful times and games with the children: “I never imagined that I would have this experience with the little ones”.
What she values the most was the space that she had to carry out her ideas. One of things that she did with the children was to renovate their bathrooms, which they painted and decorated with a marine theme. She also taught them non-violent communication skills and she gave them violin lessons. As a result of these lessons, two children joined “Sonidos de la tierra” [“Sounds of the land”], an innovative social program recognized for its great transformative impact in rural communities. (http://www.sonidosdelatierra.org.py/)
I will always have them in my heart
“It made me immensely happy to be able to transmit knowledge to the children, and while working with them I found the strength to believe more in myself. I found my vocation through them: social work.”
Marion invites everyone to volunteer, be they nationals or internationals, “dare to do it and go help out at this project, taking ideas and sharing knowledge with the community and the children. One can learn a lot from others by adapting to the reality of every place and always seeking dialogue.
She bids farewell, expressing gratitude to the leaders who accompanied her during the year she was at Dequení and she is especially grateful to the children who allowed her to enter their lives: “I will always have them in my heart”.
People of all ages, professionals or not, who wish to collaborate as volunteers at Dequení or organize events of solidarity can contact Christian González, who is in charge of the volunteers: voluntariado@dequeni.org.py
